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I genuinely wish that everyone would delete the word “Mary Sue” from their vocabulary. In its original, fanfic usage, it described a character who was, yes, usually female, but whose greatest crime was not perfection: it was twisting the story. A Mary Sue in that sense literally walks into someone else’s world and makes everything about her. Flash forward to the modern day and it’s a rare female protagonist who doesn’t get accused of being a Mary Sue, and hence worthless. Here’s the thing: she can’t distort the story if the story already belongs to her. The protagonist, regardless of gender, is awesome and interesting and has a milkshake that brings all the boys, girls, or genderfluid space pirates to the yard, because that’s why they’re the star of the story. So calling female protagonists “Mary Sue” is sexist, belittling, and reduces them in a way that is very rarely applied to their male counterparts—even when those male counterparts are just as guilty of being a little too perfect to be real.

Seanan McGuire in “Infodump,” “Mary Sue” And Other Words That Authors Are Sick Of Hearing (via nudityandnerdery)
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stereobone:

THAT character???? haha wow no they are definitely not my favorite *puts flowers in their hair* absolutely not what a complete nerd *wraps up in blankets* i dk who they even are tbh *viciously protects from everything awful ever* haha please stop looking at me

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roymustang:

you know what i love

i love when you find that one character. that character that is your absolute favorite. the character that, just by thinking of them, makes you incredibly emotional. you know that character is the one for you. they’re your number one. and you know you will never love another more

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awabubbles:

samvvinchestre:

characters who are mean and tough on the outside but “big softies inside” are just way less interesting to me than characters that are big softies outside and then are cruel and ambitious and vaguely evil on the inside like sorry i don’t make the rules

Maybe for a majority…

This why I think Ianto would be a good villain. And you’re not expecting the quiet office guy to have a cyberwoman in the basement.

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100 questions for characters

Many moons again I came across this list of questions on a now-defunct Geocities site. Thankfully I saved in a word document, because this has become one of my absolute favorite writing tools.

What I like to do is convince a friend to sit down with me and interview the character using the questions, or I Interview someone else character. It’s a fantastic way to get inside a tricky characters head, to learn more about where they are coming from and what motivates them.

The list is below the cut:

               Part 1: The Basics

1.      What is your full name?

2.      Where and when were you born?

3.      Who are/were your parents?  (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

4.      Do you have any siblings?  What are/were they like?

5.      Where do you live now, and with whom?  Describe the place and the person/people.

6.      What is your occupation?

7.      Write a full physical description of yourself.  You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.

8.      To which social class do you belong?

9.      Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?

10. Are you right- or left-handed?

11. What does your voice sound like?

12. What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?

13. What do you have in your pockets?

14. Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

   Part 2: Growing Up

 

15. How would you describe your childhood in general?

16. What is your earliest memory?

17. How much schooling have you had?

18. Did you enjoy school?

19. Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?

20. While growing up, did you have any role models?  If so, describe them.

21. While growing up, how did you get along with the other members of your family?

22. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

23. As a child, what were your favorite activities?

24. As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display?

25. As a child, were you popular?  Who were your friends, and what were they like?

26. When and with whom was your first kiss?

27. Are you a virgin?  If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?

28. If you are a supernatural being (i.e. mage, werewolf, vampire), tell the story of how you became what you are or first learned of your own abilities.  If you are just a normal human, describe any influences in your past that led you to do the things you do today.

   Part 3: Past Influences

 

29. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

30. Who has had the most influence on you?

31. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

32. What is your greatest regret?

33. What is the most evil thing you have ever done?

34. Do you have a criminal record of any kind?

35. When was the time you were the most frightened?

36. What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?

37. If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?

38. What is your best memory?

39. What is your worst memory?

                

   Part 4: Beliefs And Opinions

40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?

41. What is your greatest fear?

42. What are your religious views?

43. What are your political views?

44. What are your views on sex?

45. Are you able to kill?  Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?

46. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do?

47. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?

48. What do you believe makes a successful life?

49. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings (i.e. do you hide your true self from others, and in what way)?

50. Do you have any biases or prejudices?

51. Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances?  Why do you refuse to do it?

52. Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)?

                   Part 5: Relationships With Others

 

53. In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)?  Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?

54. Who is the most important person in your life, and why?

55. Who is the person you respect the most, and why?

56. Who are your friends?  Do you have a best friend?  Describe these people.

57. Do you have a spouse or significant other?  If so, describe this person.

58. Have you ever been in love?  If so, describe what happened.

59. What do you look for in a potential lover?

60. How close are you to your family?

61. Have you started your own family?  If so, describe them.  If not, do you want to?  Why or why not?

62. Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help?

63. Do you trust anyone to protect you?  Who, and why?

64. If you died or went missing, who would miss you?

65. Who is the person you despise the most, and why?

66. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?

67. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?

68. Do you like interacting with large groups of people?  Why or why not?

69. Do you care what others think of you?

   Part 6: Likes And Dislikes

 

70. What is/are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?

71. What is your most treasured possession?

72. What is your favorite color?

73. What is your favorite food?

74. What, if anything, do you like to read?

75. What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, movies, art, etc.)?

76. Do you smoke, drink, or use drugs?  If so, why?  Do you want to quit?

77. How do you spend a typical Saturday night?

78. What makes you laugh?

79. What, if anything, shocks or offends you?

80. What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?

81. How do you deal with stress?

82. Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?

83. What are your pet peeves?

                

   Part 7: Self Images And Etc.

84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you.  How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?

85. What is your greatest strength as a person?

86. What is your greatest weakness?

87. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

88. Are you generally introverted or extroverted?

89. Are you generally organized or messy?

90. Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at.

91. Do you like yourself?

92. What are your reasons for being an adventurer (or doing the strange and heroic things that RPG characters do)?  Are your real reasons for doing this different than the ones you tell people in public?  (If so, detail both sets of reasons…)

93. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?

94. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

95. If you could choose, how would you want to die?

96. If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.

97. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?

98. What three words best describe your personality?

99. What three words would others probably use to describe you?

100. If you could, what advice would you, the player, give to your character?  (You might even want to speak as if he or she were sitting right here in front of you, and use proper tone so he or she might heed your advice…)